AsianFin -- Pharmaceutical R&D companies in China are increasingly sourcing critical lab supplies known as reagents from domestic manufacturers, industry executives and managers said, as they look to reduce costs and shorten delivery times.

Western suppliers such as U.S.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific and Germany’s Merck have long dominated the Chinese market for reagents used in lab testing, analysis, and quality control. However, rising import tariffs stemming from the U.S.-China trade war, along with broader concerns over costs and supply security, are prompting Chinese firms to turn to local competitors like Shanghai Titan Scientific and Nanjing Vazyme Biotech, the executives said.